Also a couple of progressive dances. The people organising the ball have decided to try to move it closer to actual Victorian dancing (some more modern ones have crept in, although nothing past the 1920s, they said), and this year they introduced a quadrille that was popular in Victorian times. That was a lot of fun! I'm looking forward to more like that.

We'd love to find more opportunities for dancing nearer home (this one was at the other end of the country, and is only once a year), but there isn't a lot going on where we live, in the middle of nowhere. The Passing of Mistress RoseMy historical novels

Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?

My gown is really fun to wear. Dark red, with lots of lace; narrow bodice, wide skirt held out with tulle; off the shoulder, and laced up the back. I definitely need help getting in and out of it! Mr Kimi looked fab in his white tie and tails. He's 6'4", so does rather stand out in a crowd.

I'd wondered what you were up to, and if things were okay, but don't like to ask around. I know how private I am.

Dad and I still go out chasing birds, too, just not as often this year. We see more birds than we're able to photograph, but we're interested in all wildlife, so it still works out. **********************************

NABOUF Not a TORns*b! Certified Curmudgeon Knitting Knerd NARF: NWtS Chapter Member since June 17,2011

I haven't even looked at my current project in weeks (flowered socks). I'd been choosing naps over knitting when I had a little time for myself, but now I just can't face possibly ripping it all out and starting over again with more design changes until after Thanksgiving.

Traffic around here wasn't too bad, but we all figured that this seemingly never-ending rain pattern meant there'd be significant snowfall. We just didn't want it cutting our delayed Fall so short! We still have trees with leaves. And too much water. :/ **********************************

NABOUF Not a TORns*b! Certified Curmudgeon Knitting Knerd NARF: NWtS Chapter Member since June 17,2011

*tosses blanket over sherlock's shoulders* I'm sure you've warmed up by now... but I'm VERY impressed that you'd suffer so much for your ticket :) I hope the show is worthy of your dedication! *hugs* Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, m'dear!!! :D

Have a comfy chair and display table showing all the other inhabitants of that park :D I have 2 families of hummingbirds that have lived in my yard for 8 years now... and they ARE very entertaining! Vicious fighters as they divebomb each other at full speed. They come a'hovering and watching me as I work outside. Their hum is a little deeper than a bumblebee.

What a beautiful butterfly that Regal Fritillary is! My very first radio handle (short-lived in the 70s) was "flutterby" ;)

That golden wasp makes me shutter. Those similar-looking wasps in my area are VERY aggressive and attack you just for walking nearby.

I'm so happy you'll have more time to spend on your favourite hobbies... birdie and buggie watching. You should do a booklet on cataloguing them for your county :D

Have fun in these final days of watching... and I"m hoping big and little Peter (cool names for someone who LOVES spiders, right?) will reappear in the spring and are just hibernating for a while.

When are kids were entering teenhood, my husband was diagnosed with cancer. Now, it all worked out well but we weren't rich and we had just decided to enter a local combat robot competition. He thought maybe we shouldn't spend the money on it and I said NO WAY... this was his time with the kids and he we were going to build that robot.

I don't regret one dime we spent on that thing (a massive, 1,000 lb robot affectionately called 'The Brick').

And truth be told, I decided to retire when I got too frustrated with a particular co-worker. So, it was a form of 'burn-out' for me, too. I'm too old for fools! lol.

I saw your post about Little Eruvande. My sons are now 35 and 32. I think you're taking his leaving the nest better than I did my first sons'. :-)

OMG... I almost missed your 'for old times' sake' link. LOL. He still does it for me.

Sorry about showing up so late to the party, but Real Life is being pesky this week and demanding my attention. Lovely to see all you excellent and admirable folks here once more! Silverlode

Roads go ever ever on Under cloud and under star Yet feet that wandering have gone Turn at last to home afar. Eyes that fire and sword have seen And horror in the halls of stone Look at last on meadows green And trees and hills they long have known.

Is that a Magpie I see, returning to the TORN nest? Nice to see you again! I remember years ago you helped me with image posting (specifically, the resizing part, I think). Bummer that your tutorial will eventually come down.

Glad to see people return as well as new people sign up. I will always enjoy this site and its friendly community. And to the Americans here, Happy Thanksgiving week! (My job this holiday is to show up with booze and dessert, and both are taken care of, though I'm also showing up on Thursday with a hobbity appetite.)

Life's been pretty crazy in the Kel home for the last few years. I've returned to work - as well as being in my third year of my psychology degree, my two eldest sons have graduated from high school and are also at university, eldest Kel-son is studying commerce and middle Kel-son is studying creative writing, while youngest is completing Year 9 this year, only three more years at high school for him

Mr Kel and I are about to celebrate our 29th Anniversary, still a bit shocked he's put up with me for that long

Anyway, good to see you all, hopefully some of you will remember me.

*hugs, love and blessings* Kelvarhin This is what happens when your tiger printer slowly runs out of ink

And speaking of "homecoming," since I know you're always on the hunt for good TV, I'd recommend the Julia Roberts show Homecoming on Amazon Prime, if you haven't checked it out. Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!

Amazing to watch how quickly children blossom into adults. CS Lewis wisely pointed out that we humans shouldn't be surprised by this, and the fact that we are shows that we were made for something greater than time. ElanorTX "I shall not wholly fail if anything can still grow fair in days to come."

I'm so glad you're feeling better... and just in time for Thanksgiving :D I hope you have some fun plans AND that you've found someone else to do the cooking so you can kick back and... uh... continue recovering from that virus ;)